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Digital storytelling – a great tool for internal communicators
Over the last few weeks we’ve been talking to a potential client about developing an internal communication campaign based around digital storytelling. It’s a great idea and one that’s got me really excited about the potential of this tool. As a way to engage employees, to cu…
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What does YouTube mean for internal communicators?
That was the rather challenging question posed to me recently by Marc Wright at Simply Communicate. It’s a tough one. Whilst it’s easy to see the impact of YouTube and other video and photo sharing websites on external communicators, the implications for internal communicators are less o…
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The power of ceremony
Ceremony. Ritual. Tradition. Three very powerful words. I experienced them all this week when I, and a few hundred others, graduated (check me out at 41.32!) from the University of Manchester Business School. Dressed in the usual graduation attire – cap, gown and hood – I rea…
Free article: communication creativity
I’ve been busy writing again, so here’s another free article to download. This time it’s all about creativity, a particular passion of mine. It was originally published on Simply Communicate. Click here to download it in PDF form: Download simply_november__creativity_.pdf If …
We just don’t talk anymore
The CIPD have just issued another depressing survey on the state of communication in UK businesses. Comparing it to a marriage breakdown, they say that the relationship between employers and employees in many British workplaces is characterised by poor communication and low levels of trust. Am…
Police blow the whistle on 10 codes
I’ve just stumbled upon a great story about jargon at work. Earlier this month state police in Virginia, US, abandoned their much loved ‘10 codes’ in favor of plain English. Used by generations of officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel as shorthand during radio conversations,…
Ta ta avatar?
Steve Crescenzo makes me smile. I don’t always agree with what he has to say, but he’s always guaranteed to entertain. Take his recent post about Second Life, the much hyped 3D virtual world that is built and owned by its residents. Steve captures, very clearly, a view that I’m sur…
Friday fun – Bank of America managers cover U2′s “One”
I don’t normally cover this sort of thing, but it is Friday afternoon and it is absolutely hilarious…. Here, courtesy of YouTube, is one of the most entertaining examples of a corporate song I’ve ever come across – two managers from Bank of America who have turned U2…
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Research & evaluation workshop – book now
I’ve been really busy over the last week, so apologies for not posting here as frequently as usual. Alongside various new business proposals, ongoing client projects and writing assignments, I’ve been working closely with one of my Internal Communication Alliance colleagues, Vicki Davies, …
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Jargon damaging trust
The BBC reports today on an interesting survey carried out by Investors in People, which underlines some of the negative consequences corporate jargon and gobbledygook can have on employees. The poll of 3000 UK workers found that over use of jargon can result in employees feeling inadequate an…
Celebrating at the Waldorf
I spent most of Friday afternoon eating, drinking and chatting at the rather grand Waldorf Hotel in London, home to this year’s CiB Communicator of the Year and Communication Excellence awards. It was, I have to say, a very civilized way to spend the day. As well as seeing some very deserving peer…
One in five use iPod at work
A new survey of office workers in the UK claims to have discovered that one in five employees use their iPod at work for up to three hours a day. That’s one good reason for internal communicators to learn about podcasting and start experimenting with it.…
Chewing on Crescenzo’s nuggets
I’ve spent the last two days at the Steve Crescenzo Masterclass at London’s Kensington Close Hotel. Organised by Simply Communicate, the event saw one of our profession’s leading voices visit London for the first time. And what a debut it was. No stranger to our peers across the pond, Steve ha…
Doing the Dojo
Two pals of mine, Liam FitzPatrick and Sue Dewhurst, have just launched a blog for graduates of the Black Belt training programme, which they run in association with Melcrum. The Black Belt Dojo is a collection of ‘tales, thoughts, findings and ramblings’ on internal communication. Liam …
Hofstede’s Cultural Differences
Fellow comms blogger Nik Ranken has produced a really useful overview of Geert Hofstede’s work on cultural differences. Culture’s Consequences, Hofstede’s groundbreaking book on organizational culture, was first published in 1980. It is based on a monumental study of a multinationa…
Working environment key to creativity
I read an interesting piece this week about the benefits of developing a wacky and off-the-wall working environment. According to researchers, employees will be more creative and inventive in unusual work spaces because they feel a mix of positive and negative emotions. Quoted in the UK’s Me…
Free article to download – organizational listening
Here’s my latest feature article for you to download. It was published this month on Simply Communicate, the web-based subscription service for communicators. It focuses on organizational listening, a subject I’m really passionate about and one I’ll be returning to again in the near future. I …
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More evidence of our failure to engage
The findings of yet another survey published this month suggest that poor motivation is harming UK productivity and holding us back in the global economy. The ‘What’s My Motivation?’ study, published by the Hay Group, found that just 15% of UK office workers consider themselves highly motivate…
Struggling managers need our help
Today I stumbled upon two interesting research studies, both published this week, which look at the attitudes and behaviours of managers. They contain some mixed signals, but overall paint a depressing picture of the state of management in the UK. The first study, published by the Chartered Manageme…
The growing pains of a profession
I recently led a discussion group on strategic internal communication as part of the CIPR’s Perfecting PR Strategy conference. The group comprised about 25 communicators, of which roughly half were from the private sector and half public. Most of them were leading small teams and were responsible …
An apology
I’ve been a little bit quiet of late, but not without good reason… I relocated my business about 10 days ago and, thanks to the combined talents of BT and AOL, I am still waiting for internet access! Please bear with me over the coming days – I should be back on line soon. Thanks…
‘Crackberry’ and email addiction
This is going to be my week for moaning about the onward march of technology. Following my rants earlier in the week about Blackberry abuse, I stumbled upon a fascinating article from Anna and the team at The Source. It cites some research undertaken by Kings College, London, which suggests that e-m…
Interviewing communicators – useful resources
There was some traffic on Melcrum’s email network last week about the joys of recruitment and selection for internal communicators. Here is a small collection of resources you may find helpful if you’re involved in the recruitment process… A few years ago I was involved in pulling …
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Bedroom blogging…oh dear
Oh dear. You know how I like to rant about BlackBerry addicts who can’t stop playing with their gadgets, well check out this hilarious post from Steve Crescenzo. It appears things are even worse than I imagined. He relays the story – originally carried in the Chicago Tribune –…
Leader as weather man?
I came across a lovely example of leadership communication today… Apparently every morning a member of the senior leadership team at the Met Office stands up in the atrium at its Exeter HQ and shares the weather forecast for the day with the gathered employees. I don’t know whether…
Missive attack
Those of you who know me well know that I’m no fan of the BlackBerry, the popular little device that enables users to send and receive emails anytime, anyplace, anywhere. It’s not that I’m a Luddite, it’s just that I’ve seen them lead to this horrible, low quality, knee…
Back to school?
Hurrah! I have just returned from the University of Manchester after handing in my mammoth MSc dissertation. I’ve been studying part time for the best part of five years and I’m absolutely delighted to reach the final hurdle. It means I can now look forward to donning cap and gown to receive my …
Communicating with the cynics – new article to download
My latest article has just been published in the September issue of Communicators, the magazine of the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB). If you’re a member it will be landing on your desk this week. If not, you can download it via the following link: Download communicator…
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Line managers back in the firing line
Line managers are back in the firing line. Research published this week by Investors in People and YouGov suggests that poor communication by managers could be the main reason for employee dissatisfaction. Communication ability was listed as the most important managerial quality by respondents, yet …
Size does matter
Glenn Sturgess, a friend of mine who works in IC at Fidelity Investments, posted a comment on my last blog entry about the optimum size of an organisation. He points towards Malcolm Gladwell’s view that 150 is the ideal size. I’ve read something similar by Virgin’s Richard Branson.…
Poor cross-team communication blamed for UK productivity gap
Poor cross-team communication is the primary cause of poor productivity in the UK and elsewhere, according to the results of a survey of more than 800 executives in 19 countries. The 2006 Proudfoot Productivity Report, a piece of research commissioned by Proudfoot Consulting and the Conference Board…
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Responding to an employee survey
Over the last few weeks I’ve been talking to a number of people who have recently undertaken their first employee survey and are now grappling with the results. What they all want to know is how they should respond to it – what they should do to communicate the results and act on them. H…
Learning from the best
Awards season is upon us and, with it, a golden opportunity to learn from the best our industry has to offer. I’ve always found it incredibly useful to review the entries and winners from the main industry award programmes each year. Whether you’re primarily interested in IC strate…
An SOS from Dilbert
This Dilbert strip made me smile…and then cringe. It captures really well the painful relationship some internal communicators still have with their CEOs. Pigeonholed as lightweight tacticians, they’re always last in a very long line of advisors (somewhere behind Finance, IT, Marke…
The F Word
Liam FitzPatrick is right (see his comment on my last post), poor internal communication is partly to blame for creating dull, dreary and downright uninspiring places to work. As a profession we need to do much more to recognise and celebrate internal communicators who use their talents to create ex…
Putting employees to sleep
Don’t worry, I’m not advocating lethal injections for disengaged workers… The Training and Development Agency for Schools has just surveyed over 2000 graduate employees and come up with its ‘Workforce Boredom Index’. According to the study, administrative/secretarial em…
McSurvey sheds light on change comms
Management consultants McKinsey have just undertaken a global survey on change management (you might need to register to access the article). It shows that the most successful business transformations occur when leaders mobilise and sustain the energy of employees and communicate their objectives cl…
Move over Mr Motivator!
I was pushed for time when I published my last blog post so I didn’t even try to address the all-important ‘so what?’ question. That’s why I was delighted to see fellow blogger Andrew Miller pick up the baton on his InsideWork blog. Employee motivation is a fascin…
Engagement in the UK – mixed signals
The Work Foundation published an interesting little study today. The organisation surveyed 1000 workers across the UK and found that the majority (around two thirds) said they gained a sense of personal fulfilment from their jobs. Better still, 78% said they found their work "stimulating and ch…
Who’s got the X factor?
Here’s a pet theory of mine – great internal communicators are great entertainers. I don’t mean jugglers or clowns (though I’ve come across both) but that it’s a core part of our remit to inject energy and pizzazz into our organisations. You’ve got to admit it, a lot of the stuff we …
Communication champions – top tips
I was speaking to someone yesterday about the valuable role champions or networks can play in delivering great programmes and extending the reach of an over-stretched comms team. I’ve always found these volunteer networks to be really helpful. They can add value in so many ways – as your…
Time to get naked
I’ve finally finished reading Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Isreal (see Reads below). It was a fascinating read and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s considering setting up a blog or who just wants to know a little more about the blogging phenomenon. In fact I really…
The devil’s gadget
Everywhere I go these days I see Blackberry-touting executives. No self-respecting corporate player can be seen without one. Whether in the office or down at Starbucks, they have to have them on show – slapped on the table so everyone can see just how important and powerful they are. I’m no Ludd…
Is IC coming of age?
I have just stumbled upon yet more evidence that internal communication is coming of age. This week’s issue of PR Week features the results of a survey of communication directors and heads the magazine has undertaken with Brands2Life. Internal communication was ranked third in a long list of r…
Rooftop ramblings
I was at the Melcrum bash in London last night. It was a gorgeous evening in the capital and perfect timing for a rooftop BBQ (the Courthouse Hotel on Great Marlborough Street is a real gem). There were around 100 communication types there, a mix of senior in-house operators, fellow consultants and …
MagIC buzz words
If you haven’t seen it already, the recently launched internal comms blog MagIC is worth a look. The team behind it (one of whom goes by the name Pink Shoes) has just published a list of emerging buzz words. My own particular favourite is ‘testiculating‘, not that I’m ever gu…
I want your sax
I read an interesting little piece in Management Today recently. It was all about the similarities between business and jazz. You can read it here. It’s not a new idea, but it’s one I really like. I remember the academic Mary Jo Hatch talking about jazz and branding in a similar way at t…
Messaging myopia
Why is so little written about messaging in internal comms? I don’t mean instant messaging, text messaging or any other technology, but the core process of creating, crafting, developing, testing and refining the messages we want to share internally. I’m working on a toolkit for one of m…
Are you in need of image optimization?
I went to an interesting PM Forum event in Birmingham last night. Dubbed ‘you are your best business card’, it was all about managing first impressions. The speaker was Laurel Herman, founder of Positive Presence and one of the UK’s best known personal image gurus. Laurel talked about the impo…
Authenticity – getting behind the buzzword
There’s a lot of talk these days about authenticity. Alongside transparency, engagement and a dozen other consulting favourites, it’s seeping into the lexicon of internal communicators. But I can’t help thinking that authenticity, which for me basically means being true to yourself and not bul…
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Trust & dialogue
I’m taking my lead today from Andrew Miller, a London-based blogger and consultant. In his blog yesterday Andrew cited a Harvard Business School article on dialogue and asked "will dialogue build trust?". I’d like to add some thoughts of my own… Trust is at the very heart…
Asda strike
What’s happening at Asda? Distribution staff in 20 depots have just voted 3 to 1 in favour of strike action. Union GMB says it’s due to unpaid bonuses and the introduction of new technology that will "harm staff". Asda claim just 1.5% of staff voted. This issue has been b…
Word of mouth..on steroids
Earlier today I bought a copy of Robert Scoble and Shel Israel’s excellent book, Naked Conversations (see ‘Recommended reads’ below left). It’s a book about blogging and how it’s changing the way businesses talk with their stakeholders. But it’s far from dull. Aft…
Mind mapping revisited
I’d forgotten what a fantastic process mind mapping is. I read Tony Buzan’s book years ago and was, for a short while, an avid user. Then I stopped. My reawakening came earlier today when I did some work with a client and another specialist supplier, M62 Visual Communications, on reviewi…
Big Brother research?
I’ll admit it, I’ve been watching Big Brother. For those of you from another planet, BB is the reality TV show in which a bunch of strangers are locked in a house for months in pursuit of hard cash and celebrity. I used to be a staunch critic; now I’m a convert. It’s just so compelling to wa…
Gunning for gobbledygook
I’ve been working on a strategy document for one of my clients today. This has basically involved taking the output from various workshops, meetings and discussions and translating it into something that will ultimately make sense to employees. Much as I champion the use of Plain English and a…
Come on England!
Come on England! After a rather dull first half, Crouch and Gerrard managed to deliver the goods with just minutes to spare. 2-0 against a battle-ready Trinidad & Tobago. So England are through to the final 16 of the World Cup. A hollow victory? Time will tell… for now let’s enjoy th…
Reinvigorating the ICA
I’ve been talking to Stephen Windsor-Lewis this morning. Stephen is chair of the ICA, the internal comms arm of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). I’ve been on the ICA national committee for about four years and during that time we’ve done some fantastic…
First post
This is my very first post. Until today I was a blogging virgin. But no longer… There’s so much talk about blogging in communication circles these days. The news of Robert Scoble’s (blog supremo) decision to quit Microsoft today has created a global media storm. This shows just how…